School brings back uniforms
Boarding school in Paris suburbs says allowing casual wear has got out of hand - and pupils will wear suits from January
A BOARDING school for under-privileged children in the Paris suburbs is to become one of the first in the country to implement a compulsory uniform.
From January, the 360 pupils at the Internat d'Excellence in Sourdun (Seine-et-Marne) will be required to attend classes in black business suits, a white shirt and tie for the boys and a cardigan or V-neck jumper for the girls.
A spokesman for the school told Le Parisien that the current dress code, which like most French schools allows for casual wear, had got out of hand and was causing arguments between staff and students.
One student, in troisième (the fourth year of secondary school), said the move would put all pupils "on an equal level". But another student, in the final year preparing the baccalauréat, said they were being "treated like children".
Parents' association representative Nadia Cheriti said their primary concern at first was the cost. The school has offered to subsidise the €250 uniform, leaving parents with just €80 to pay.
The Internat in Sourdun is one of 12 boarding schools set up by the French government three years ago to offer a new learning experience for pupils in suburban areas from disadvantaged backgrounds.
President Sarkozy's UMP party announced last month that it was considering a return to school uniforms to "rub out social inequality" among students.
Prime Minister François Fillon has backed the plan which, rather than being a strict rule bringing back school blazers and ties, would see a "dress code" for French education.
Parents have long bemoaned the "tyranny of designer labels" that makes children demand expensive schoolwear, but many also fear the cost of an imposed uniform.
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